Ruby Lake

What do cyclists do on a rest day?

Hike!

We piled into a couple of SUVs to carpool to the end of Rock Creek Road to explore what we missed yesterday. And, of course, to climb even higher.

Our visit to this corner of the John Muir Wilderness began at the Little Lakes Valley trailhead, reportedly the highest trailhead in the Sierra. Along the way, we passed a local woman who has been hiking up there for 90 years (beginning when she was four years old). Yes, you read that right: We met a 94-year old woman hiking, alone, at an elevation above 10,000 feet. [I hope that's me, someday.]

I was lagging behind (as usual) when another local hiker approached. His eyes grew wide when I described our previous two days of biking. “You're a cardiovascular animal!” he exclaimed.

There were two options for today's hike: Most of us chose the shorter route to Ruby Lake, but a few indomitable souls more than doubled the distance to reach Mono Pass. From the lake shore, they were soon bright specks on the rocky slope towering above us. We counted down to hoot and holler in unison to draw their attention, and impressed ourselves with the echoing clamor we unleashed.

An unexpected pleasure of this trip is getting to know my fellow cyclists. One of my regular ride buddies is here, but most of the other riders are new friends. My club rides are limited to weekends, and many of the folks on this trip are retired and ride on weekdays. Conversation is easier when hiking than biking, although the altitude (over 11,000 feet) and elevation gain (more than 800 feet) had me huffing and puffing a bit.

I have been admiring the deep blue sky on this trip, and picked up a new fact from one of our fellow hikers who has visited much higher altitudes: The higher you go, the darker it gets. [Of course.] Learn something new—every day.

Hiking back down, I was especially grateful for my Leki hiking pole. The flat-top handle is like having your own personal handrail, wherever you want one. Being something of a klutz, it has saved my bacon more than once over the years.

Our last stop was another spot we were denied yesterday: Pie in the Sky. I earned that, right? Yesterday, if not today. Boysenberry ... mmm.